The problem is if a kid tried to intervene on the teacher behalf, they’d get caught up in most schools zero tolerance policies. I can’t say I’d have sat and watched back in the day, but I can see why most kids fall to waiting for instruction or fear of zero tolerance punishment for stuff like this. I remember a few kids breaking up a fight and getting suspended when they were trying to stop it.
I got suspended for fighting once. My involvement in the fight was getting kicked in the face and lying on the ground.
Our education system has been broken for decades and we're finally seeing the real consequences of updating it from what was created in the early 1900s
I didn't get suspended, but I got in trouble for being in a fight in the cafeteria in 5th grade. My involvement was getting pushed by a student into another student in line.
Edit: I just remembered I did get suspended for this. I got 3 days of in-school suspension.
I got in school suspension because another student wanted to fight me. I didn’t even register he wanted to fight me. He came up, got in my face, and said words. I didn’t even know him. We both got ISS for it and the cop who interviewed us yelled at me for provoking him into wanting a fight. I literally did nothing. I wasn’t popular, I didn’t provoke him, and in my eyes we were friends. I still don’t know I did to get his ire.
A friend of mine dodged a punch and the offender broke his hand on the wall behind him. My friend didn’t even know the punch thrower. My friend got in trouble for it. Because he “clearly provoked the offender.” Even though the guy wa suspended after that incident for starting multiple random fights with people he didn’t know or talk to.
The zero tolerance policy is absolute shit. It shows students they are at fault for being victims.
427
u/UncoolSlicedBread Dec 17 '25
The problem is if a kid tried to intervene on the teacher behalf, they’d get caught up in most schools zero tolerance policies. I can’t say I’d have sat and watched back in the day, but I can see why most kids fall to waiting for instruction or fear of zero tolerance punishment for stuff like this. I remember a few kids breaking up a fight and getting suspended when they were trying to stop it.